One Year

by Adil Charkaoui (translated by Ehab Lotayef)

One year behind bars!
Missed at least 365 kisses from Khawla
Countless family gatherings. Foods I never touched.
One year behind bars!
Sleepless nights. Endless snow and endless stress.
Long summer days. Sunsets that lost their charm.
And it goes on…
Hearing the same words over and over again:
“National security before individual rights.”
“It's no criminal case. It's immigration.”
“Prove your innocence and we'll let you go.”
How?
When charges are secret.
Informers anonymous.
And all evidence hidden.
Right of appeal? That's only for criminals.
Is presumption of innocence reserved for sponsorship scandals?
Isn't the same Codere involved there?
Has Inquisition and Citizenship Canada ever heard of the charter?
Tonight, one more time,
A two year old girl will sleep without her father
And a baby, nine months old, will be missing his dad
Ask yourself why!